Cast members of a reality show who featured in MTV’s The Real World are speaking out after the family of one of its stars, Sarah Becker, confirmed to TMZ on Sunday that Becker died at 52.
An unidentified member of the family confirmed to the outlet that Becker died last week at her home in Illinois. The family member added that she died by suicide.
Becker, who starred in the fifth season of The Real World, based in Miami in 1996, had recently moved to Illinois from California to take care of ill family members.
According to TMZ, Becker struggled with mental health in recent months, and a skateboarding accident only added to her anxiety.
According to Deadline, Becker once described herself as a “19-year-old trapped in a 25-year-old body” on The Real World: Miami.
Her cast mate, Dan Renzi, posted to Instagram Sunday night that he’d heard about the death of “one of my roommates in The Real World,” adding that “Sarah and I had not spoken since the end of our show, so I don’t know anything about her struggles.”
“The seven of us in that cast went through a bizarre, intense and sometimes traumatic experience together, and that creates a connection between people, even when they choose not to associate with each other.”
He added: “I can only say, it’s very sad.”
Another cast mate, Cynthia Roberts, posted a Story to Instagram in tribute: “RIP Roomy. I pray there’s happiness for you on the other side,” she wrote alongside a photo of Becker.
Flora Alekseyeun, meanwhile, said on Instagram she was “beyond myself and sad to just hear that my roomate (sic) Sarah died. I can’t believe this.”
Though Alekseyeun said the pair had not spoken for some time, Becker “was the most selfless person I knew. She was always kind and helpful to everyone. I haven’t spoken to her in years and never knew she was troubled. My prayers go out to her family. RIP my roomate (sic), my friend. May you skate with angels and never feel pain again.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
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